Bishop throws book at priest who came out

(St. Paul Newman Center) Father Geoffrey Farrow predicted "dire consequences" when he came out at Mass as a gay man against Prop. 8, and he got them: The Catholic bishop of Fresno not only booted him from his job over the weekend, but ordered him out of the San Joaquin Valley he has served for 23 years.   

Temporarily staying in Los Angeles with friends, Farrow, 50, blogged last week that his family feared for his safety if he stayed in Fresno. He had to leave town so fast that he couldn't find one of his two cats, he told the L.A. Times. Until last weekend, he was pastor of the St. Paul Newman Center, which mostly serves the local branch of California State University. Most parishioners were stunned by his removal, local media say, even though some felt he -- or the bishops -- shouldn't talk politics from the pulpit.       

Not satisfied with unemployment and exile, the bishop hints that Farrow could face further discipline, including defrocking. 

Comments

[Erock27]

Man, this sucks!!! I was raised a catholic and never came out to the my catholic community just for this very reason.
For the catholic church and the that community to drive him away from his home, speaks a lot about that community. Not to say they are bad people but this community was willing to cast aside all that this man has done for their community, providing spiritual guidance and support only be to be re-paid by ridicule and fear.
For that man to do what he did required a tremendous amount of strength and I give him much respect for holding to his guns and stepping out of the closet in a situation that was bound to turn sour.
Even though I'm not a practicing Catholic anymore, I pray for Father Farrow and wish him the best. I hope he finds that spirituality is in the eye of the beholder and that even though the church may not have his back, there are plenty of christian gays out there that do!

[Jason]

Only celibate men in a state of grace should enter into the Holy of Holies and approach the Altar of God. End of debate. All others that are promiscuous or parade the gay lifestyle over their priestly vocation deserve to be driven away. They are wicked and desolate of what they have been appointed to do for the world. This is a good move for California's dioceses. They are so filled with bad bishops and even worse priests.

[daddy_bear54]

The pope could use a good laxative,

[daddy_bear54]

Jason could use a good laxative too.

[queertomcat]

Your wrong erock.... they are bad people. shallow, sadistic sheep who by propagating the religion, let alone the actions, are doing nothing but speading hatemongering. Personally I cannot for the life of me understand gay catholics/christians/any of it cause they themselves are supporting and propagating a religion which hates them (you) and uses it's number of followers and justification of it's actions. F***ed up!

[Earl]

I think I remember something from the Bible about not judging others...In fact, I think their was an entire testament about it! Remember "let he who is without sin through the first stone"??? Oh, by the way, if you guys need some cheering up, I would go to Futureclaw.com, they have some really great, inspirational stuff on their. Peace!

[Mark F]

How odd it is for homosexuals to quote "let he who is without sin through the first stone." I hear this a lot. What I have never heard is the next line that Jesus said to the adulterous woman - "go and sin no more." Jesus did not die on the cross to validate who we are already. He came to save us from our sins. Can anyone tell me why the definition of the word "fornication", used by Jesus in Mark 7 does not include homosexual behavior? The Church believes that fornication includes all sexual behavior outside of marriage, homosexual or heterosexual. This priest put his own homosexuality above his love for the Church and that is sad. Guys, I know the Church's message is hard for you to hear, believe me I do. But you've been deceived and tricked by the ruler of this world, satan, into something that does not deliver what it's promised. You all know that deep down. What the Church is asking you to do is no different than she's asking anyone else to do - repent and ask for forgiveness and the grace to live differently. People with same-sex attraction are not asked to become straight, just to do what all are called to do, straight or gay, and that is to live a chaste life in service to others. I lived the homosexual life for thirty years before walking away from it. It was a hard decision but there is life - real life and a better life with peace of mind and contentment - on the other side. Just take a look at gay life and ask yourself, is this what God wants for me? Is this the only way I can live? The Catholic Church will welcome like the prodigal son returning home.

[splashpont]

It is sad that a church that truly does so much to demonstrate the love of God in the world by its work for peace, anti-poverty, immigration, creation, etc., etc., undoes all of it by the very vocal embrace of unreasonable, puritanical approaches to sexuality.

[Headstrongguy]

WELL, NOW I KNOW WHO (JAMES F)REALLY IS!

His real name is "James Hartline" and he was on the "Alan Colmes Radio Show" a few wks ago and professed to be a religious ex-gay. (by the way, Alan Colmes is a straight man who is very pro-gay marriage)

He said, just like his blog, that he had been a homosexual for 30 years and now he is no more. He also said
that the reason why there were so many fires in California was because the wrath of god was punishing California for its homosexual permissiveness.
I decided to call "Alan Colmes" and got into a heated discussion with this so called "ex-gay man"..

First I asked. ...Well, why hasn't Mass or Ct fallen into the ocean yet or why hasn't New York City gone up in flames? He lame answer was that God makes the decision on these matters. In other words, they have decided what God is really thinking,
just as they cherry pick their scriptures and disasters according to their own distorted beliefs.

Next, James Hartline(alias Mark F) said he had hit such a low ebb in his lifetime due to alcholism, promiscuity and acquiring the HIV virus, that he finally saw the light and was saved by Jesus. How many times have we heard this before?

I told him that self destructive behavior had nothing to with one's sexual orientation. Their are many heterosexuals that engage in the same practices, including getting "Aids" but do not try a change their sexual orientation!..

Then "Alan Colmes" asked this "brain-washed bible bigot" if he liked women now? Well, Hartline said...I think women can be beautiful (long hesitation) but could not admit he was sexually attracted to them. So he either masturbates in btween his prayers or he has the worst case of the "Blue Balls" this side of the Rio Grande.LOL. Oh wait, god said "Thou shall not spread thy seed upon the Ground", so I guess this will be eternal "blue balls" for this guy forever. Not that's real hell!

This whacko, nutcase, also proclaimed that oral sex was dirty(FOR MEN AND WOMEN)and that homosexual acts were abusive to one's anatomy....Well, it sure never hurt me!

This man is a classic example of what happens when fraudulent "sexual reparative therapies" (in the guise of religion) are able take advantage of the "down and out" gay people and try to blame it on their sexual orientation. He is also a propaganda tool for the religious rights quest to prove that homosexuals can either change or totally repress that sexuality in the name of Jesus. Just call him what he really is..."The Queen of Denial"!

[Brian A.]

Blah, blah, blah!
Religion SUCKS!
It is ALL man made.
It is all made up!

[Kip]

Since when is the Catholic Religion allowed to exile someone from a city or area?

I guess it just goes to show once again the hate mongering that continues to rattle on in the Catholic organization. How about all the priests that have molested little boys over the decades? The Vatican allowed them to keep their positions and kept it hush hush. ??? What about that? How is that any different?